Apparatus for packaging rugs



Jam 1936. c. F. HAM/KER ET AL. 2,027,379v

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGS Original Filed March 16, 1932 "11Sheets-Sheet l 3mm; EHMM 1936? CF. HAWKER El AL APPARATUS FOR PACKAGINGBUGS Original Filed March 16, 1952 ll Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 14, 1936. c.F. HAWKER El AL fi fi n APPARATUS FOR PAC'KAGING RUGS Original FiledMarch 16, 1932 11 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 14, 1936. c HAWKER AL 2,027,379 IAPPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGS Original Filed March 16, 1932 llSheets-Sheet 4 swam/bot; 1'0 FA Km c. F. HAWKER El AL 2,027,2 9

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING HUGS Original Filed March 16, 1932 ll'Sheets-Sheet 5 I Jan. 1935- c. F. HAWKER ET AL 2&2737

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING HUGS l1 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed March 16,1952 amen cw;

F. H Funk 6 W m Jan. 14, 1936; c HAWKER ET 2,027,379

' APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGS Original Filed March 16, 1932 llSheets-Sheet 7 1936- c F. HAWKER El AL I 2,027,379

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGS Ori inal Filed March 16, 1952 11Sheets-Sheet 8 T llllllllllllllllllllllll 1 A lllll Illl/III Jan. 14,1936. F, AwKE-R Er AL A 2,027,379

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGINZG RUGS Original Filed March 16, 1952 11Sheets-Sheet 9 ma IIIIAIIIII Jan. 14, 1936-, c. F. HAWK ER El AL2,027,379

- APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGS I Original Fi led March-l6, 1932i1'Sheets- Sheet l0 Em m Jan. 14, 1936. c wK ETYAL 2,027,379

' APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING HUGS Original Filed March 16, 1952 11Sheets-Sheet ll awe/H 000. W W

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Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RUGSClifford F. Hawker, Benjamin F. Herr, and Fred G. Rottmund, Lancaster,Pa., assigncrs to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporationof Pennsylvania Application March 16, 1932, Serial No. 599,216 RenewedJune 19, 1935 25 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for packaging material orarticles which may be rolled. It is of particular advantage in packagingrugs or other surface coverings of the linoleum or felt Rugs of the feltbase type comprise a sheet of felt saturated with asphalt or anysuitable saturant and have a decorative design printed on one facethereof. Heretofore, in packaging rugs of this type it has beennecessary to roll said rugs on a comparatively large diameter and thencover the rug with an outer wrapping of paper. The rugs could not berolled on a small diameter because of the susceptibility of the felt tocrack. In cases of felt of inferior quality it was necessary to increasethe size of the roll even more than usual. This added the disadvantageof non-uniform sizes to the other disadvantages of the completedpackages.

It is an object of our invention to provide means for packaging rolledarticles such as textile fabrics, roofing material, or rugs of thelinoleum or felt base type which will form completed packages which arerelatively small and of uniform size. It is a further object of ourinvention to provide means for forming a completed package that willhave a neat appearance, will be durable, and will protect the packagedarticle from injury during transit. It is a further object of ourinvention to provide simple and ehicient means whereby rolled articlesmay be packaged economically. It is a further object of our invention toprovide means for packaging rolled articles that will require a minimumof manual labor. Other objects of our invention will become apparentupon reading the annexed specification taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings illustrating our apparatus as applied to thepackaging of a rug in which;

Figure 1 is a perspective view, in diagrammatic form, of the rugpackaging apparatus;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the rug expelling device;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the rug expelling device;

Figure 4 is a top plan view showing the rug centering apparatus and thepackage crimping apparatus.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of one half of the rug centering apparatus;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view through the oppositehalf of the rug centering apparatus;

Figure l is an end elevation of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a detail of the rug centering apparatus;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of one half of the package crimpingapparatus;

Figure 10 is a longitudinal view, partly in elevation and partly insection, through the opposite half of the package crimping machine;

Figure 11 is an end elevation of Figure 9;

I Figure 12 is a detail of the package crimping apparatus;

Figure 13 is a detail perspective of one of the crimping heads; 5

Figure 14 is a section taken along the line XIVXIV of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary perspective of one end of the completed rugpackage, and

Figure 16 is a diagrammatic isometric view 10 showing a portion of thecentering head driving mechanism.

In Figure 1, the reference numeral 2 indicates an inspection table uponwhich a plurality of felt baserugs are stacked. The rugs are passed 15individually through a trade-marking machine 3 which prints suitableindicia on the bottom surface of the rug. A belt conveyor 4 moving overa pair of rolls 5 and 6 carries individual rugs from the trade-markingmachine to a pair of pinch 20 rolls '1 and 8. The pinch rolls 7 and 8are effective to move the rug through a conditioning chamber 9.

If desired, the conditioning chamber may be provided with a steel slatconveyor to carry the rugs through the chamber. However, we prefer touse pinch rolls for'this purpose. The conditioning chamber isparticularly adapted to aid in packaging rugs when the temperature inthe room is so low that the rugs are too stifi' to be bent easily. Theconditioning chamber 9 is heated by steam or any other suitable means sothat the rugs passing through the chamber may be heated to approximately100 F. The degree of heat applied will depend upon the outsidetemperature.

The rug passes from the conditioning chamber 9 to the roll-up deviceill. The roll-up device consists of a suitable frame I l in which aremounted an upper roll [2 and two lower rolls I3 and M. A thin woodencore is placed between these three rolls. The end of the rug to berolled is secured to the core by means of a fabric apron and the rolls[3 and id are rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed inFigure 1. The roll l2 which rests on top of the core runs idly.

When the rug has been rolled up it is moved out of the roll-up device bythe rug expelling device l5 hereinafter described in detail. A suitabletube is then placed around the rolled rug and cardboard or thin woodendisks are placed in the ends of the tube adjacent the rug. The rolledrug is then moved to the centering machine I6 which forces the disksflush against the ends of the rolled rug and centers the rug in thetube. The rolled rug is then passed to the crimping machine El whichturns the ends of the tube inwardly to engage the faces of the disks andto maintain the rug in the tube. The packaged rug is then ready forshipment.

Figures 2 and 3 show the construction of the rug expelling device. Thepurpose of this device is to expel the rug from the roll-up machine andcarry it to a position where a tube may be slipped over the rug. Afterthe rug is rolled up it has a tendency to unwind and must be kept undercompression until the tube is around the rug. After the rug is rolledup, the roll-up machine is stopped; a hand brake is then applied to thetop idle roll i2 and the direction of rotation of the driven roll I4 isreversed. This causes the roll M to expel the rug into position betweenthe belt conveyors l8 and t9 by pivoting it upon the stationary topidler roll l2.

The rug expelling device is supported by a metal frame which includes aplurality of angle irons 2| which are secured to the floor by means ofthe angle irons 22. The upper ends of the angle irons 2| are connectedby means of cross rails 23. The cross rails 23 support upright angleirons 2 A longitudinal angle iron 25 flush with the tops of the angleirons Z l extends across the width of the rug expelling device. Alongitudinal angle iron 26 similar to angle irons 25 is secured toupstanding angle irons Zl secured to the cross rail 23 by means of studs23. The connection between the angle iron 2'! and the cross rail 23 isreenforced by means of the angle iron 28.

The lower conveyor consists of a plurality of relatively narrow bands |3mounted at one end over the roller M and the other end over individ ualflanged pulleys 3d. The pulleys 33 are mounted on a common shaft 3!which is journaled in bearings 32 mounted on the cross rails 23. A plate33 secured to the angle bracket 25 supports the upper reach of theconveyor l8. A plate 34 secured to the top of the angles 24 and 25provides a support for the rolled rug 35 after it is moved out of theexpelling device.

The upper conveyor I9 is supported by the angle irons 21. The conveyorconsists of a plurality of conveyor belts 35 mounted on flanged pulleys3! and 38. The pulleys 3? are mounted on a common shaft 39 journaled inbearings 4-3 suspended from the plate 3!. The pulleys 38 are mounted ona shaft 39 journaled in bearings also suspended from the plate ll. Theplate 4| is secured to a pair of channel members 42. The channel members42 are connected by a cross member 43 which is provided with projectingarms 44. The arms 54 rest on screw threaded adjusting screws 45 whichextend through threaded openings in the member secured to the top of theangle iron 21. The lower end of the adjusting screws 45 has attachedthereto a wrench 41 so that the entire upper belt assembly may be raisedor lowered to accommodate rugs of different sizes.

The adjusting screws are provided with compression springs 48 securedbetween the arms 55 and adjustable nuts 49 to help support the weight ofthe upper conveyor structure. The springs :18 protect the upper conveyorstructure l9 from unnecessary shocks. The rolled rug 35 is held undersufficient compression between the upper and lower conveyors to preventit from unrolling. The upper conveyor may be driven by any suitablemeans, or it may run idle. A spring member 53 serves to hold the rolledrug 35 under compression after it has been expelled from the conveyorsI8 and IS. The rolled rug 35 is moved from under the spring 53 to aposition on the members 34 where it is engaged by a spring 5| secured toa plate 52 by a clamp 53.

A plurality of plates 52 are secured along the front edge of the channelmember 42 so that the position of the springs 5| may be adjusted inaccordance with the width of the rug being rolled. It is desirable toposition the springs adjacent the ends of the rolled rug to facilitatethe application of a tube thereto. The spring 5| has one end bentupwardly, as indicated at 54, to facilitate the positioning of a tubearound the rolled rug. The outer edges of the plates 34 are beveled tofacilitate the placement of the tube over the rolled rug.

We prefer to package the rolled rug in a paper tube 55 (see Figure 15)formed in two sections. One section of the tube is slipped over each endof the rolled rug until the two sections meet. Any suitable tube may beused, but we prefer a 5-ply paper tube because of the protection itextends to the packaged rug during handling and shipping. After thepaper tube has been placed around the rolled rug, the rug expandsslightly to press against the tube. After this expansion the mandrelupon which the rug has been rolled is removed, and a plywood orcardboard disk 56 is placed in each end of the tube. These disks areprovided with a small hole 51 in the center thereof to allow the escapeof air in the tube when the rugs are centered. The holes also facilitatethe removal of the tubes from the packaged article.

The rolled rug 35 now confined in its tube 55 is rolled across thesupporting plates 34 to the centering machine H5. The centering machineE5 (see Figures 4 to 8 inclusive) includes a pair of channel irons 58secured to I-bcams 59 which rest on the floor. cludes a pair ofcentering units 60 and 6|, which are substantially duplicates of eachother, and are mounted at opposite ends of the channel members 58. Agear rack 62 (Fig. 7) is secured to one channel member 58 near its upperedge.

A gear 63 is mounted on a shaft 84 which extends through a pair of arms65 integrally connected with the centering units. A crank 66 having ahandle 51 is connected to one end of the shaft 64. Rotation of the shaft64 will impart a transverse movement to the centering unit whereby thedistance between the centering units 60 and 6| may be adjusted toconform to the width of the rug being packaged. Although we have shownboth centering units being movable it is generally sufficient to moveonly one unit and allow the other to remain stationary.

The centering mechanism is provided with a worm drive which is enclosedwithin the casing shaft 69 connected with a motor 12. A worm 10 is keyedto the shaft 69 and meshes with a worm wheel H which is in turn keyed toa shaft 13 mounted for rotation in bearings 14 formed in opposite sidesof the casing. A shaft 15 is keyed to the shaft 13 by means of acoupling 16. The mechanism for moving the centering units 60 and 5| isdriven from this shaft. We will describe the mechanism for the operationof the unit 60. The mechanism is similar for each of the units andcorresponding numbers have been applied to like parts (Figures 5, 6, '7,and 8).

In Figure I8 we have shown diagrammatic-ally, with the component partsseparated, a portion of the centering unit mechanism in order that itsoperation may be more readily understood.

A bossed disk "IT is keyed to the shaft 15 and carries a cam follower I3and a pawl 89 keyed to the fulcrum shaft 8! which is journaled through aboss in the disk ll. A spring 18 is provided The centering machine ISin- The driving mechanism consists of a drive which urges the camfollower 19 into contact with the periphery of the cam 85 which isrigidly mounted on the bearing 86 and is held against rotation by theset screw 86. The pawl 80 .00- operates with a ratchet wheel 81 toimpart movement to a spiral gear 88 to which it is secured by keying orotherwise. Gear 88 is freely revolvable on the sha t 5.

Rotation of the gear 88 is controlled by the cam 85 in the followingmanner: The shaft I5 is rotated, carrying the disk I! in a clockwisedirection (Fig. 16). The follower I9 revolves about the stationary cam85 and contacts with the peripheral surface thereof, being urgedthereagainst by the spring 78. As the follower I9 is operated on thefulcrum shaft 8| by the lobes of the cam 85, the pawl 88 which is alsokeyed to the fulcrum shaft 8| is operated a like amount.

In Figure 16 we have indicated the four sectors of the ratchet wheel asa, b, c, and d and have indicated the four sectors of the cam as A, B,C, and D. The follower is shown in a position just prior to its descentonto the sector A.

When the disk Tl is rotated, the follower 79 will be urged into contactwith the sector A of the cam 85 thereby causing the pawl 80 to rise andride on the sector a, of the ratchet wheel. As the disk 'I'I moves forA. revolution, the follower rides over the surface A, gradually risingand thereby causing the pawl 80 to follow the contour of the sector a.The gear 88 is stationary during this period. The disk continues itsrotation with the follower I9 riding over the sector B of the cam. Thepawl 88, however, has engaged the shoulder or tooth of the ratchet wheelintermediate sectors a and b and since the contour of the cam sector Bis concentric with the axis of the rotation of the follower E9 theratchet wheel 8? is imparted revolution. The follower I9 then descendsonto sector C and the pawl 80 rises and disengages. During the next A;revolution and while the pawl 80 is travelling over the sector b thegear 88 is idle. When the follower I9 reaches sector D, the pawl 80engages the shoulder or tooth intermediate the sectors b and c and arevolution is imparted to the ratchet wheel 8'! and the gear 88 as thefollower '19 travels over sector D.

The gear 88 therefore makes revolution for each revolution of the shaftI5 and the cycle of movement of the gear as compared with the shaft I5is: move onerquarter; rest one-quarter; move one-quarter; restone-quarter for each revolution of the shaft I5.

The spiral gear 88 drives a shaft 89 through a spiral gear 90 the ratiobeing 1 to 2. A sprocket 9| is also secured to the shaft 89. Thesprocket 9| is connected to a similar sprocket 92 by means of a chain93. The sprocket 92 is secured to a shaft 94 which has an eccentric 95secured thereto. A link 95 is secured to the eccentric 95.

The link 96 has a hollow chamber 9'! in which a piston head 98 ispositioned. The link 96 is provided with a. head 99 provided with a holeat its center through which a shaft I00, integral with the piston head98, passes. A compression spring .59I is positioned around the shaft Ibetween the piston head 98 and the head 99. The head 99 is shown assplit to provide for clamping in a desired position on the link 95whereby the spring I9I is initially compressed a desired amount. Theshaft I00 is provided at its end opposite the piston head 98 with a linkI02 mounted on a shaft I03. The shaft I03 is mounted on a pair of arms1,0.4 depending from the centering head slide I05.

The rotation of the disk 'I'I imparts a rotary motion to the spiral gear88 which in turn rotates the shaft 89 upon which the sprocket 90 ismounted. The rotary motion of the sprocket 90 is transmitted to thesprocket 92 by means of the chain 93 and causes the eccentric 95 to movewith a reciprocatory movement. The eccentric 95 acts through the link 98to slide the centering head slide 85 over the stationary supportingmember I95. The compression spring IilI is adapted to cushion the motionof the slide 585.

The centering head slide I05 supports a member .I 01 which in turnsupports a housing I08 to which a centering head I09 is secured. Thecentering head I09 is provided with a peripheral flange I I0 r5 whichserves to prevent the head from traveling too far into the tube in whichthe rug is packaged. The compression spring IOI is adapted to absorbpressure when the centering head I09 butts against a tube or rug that islonger than normal.

The centering head I09 may be rigid, but we prefer to make it rotatableso that a tube held on the centering head may be rotated, in order tofacilitate the application of a binding tape at the joint between thetwo portions of the tube. Although we have not shown any apparatus forapplying a binding tape to connect the two ends of the tube together, itwill be seen that a roll of adhesive paper or any similar material maybe mounted on a shaft directly above the centering 3.9

which extends through the centering head and through one end of thehousing I08. One end of the shaft III is secured to the end of a spindleII2 mounted in the housing I95 on ball bearings II 3. The other end ofthe shaft III has an extension plate H4 secured thereto by means of a=10 screw I I5. The extension plate I I4 is of the same diameter as theadjacent face of the centering head I09. A compression spring H6encircles the shaft I I I between the centering head I09 and theextension plate I I4. L

The operation of the centering head is as follows: When the spiral gear88 is moved onefourth of a revolution by the rotation of the disk 11,the eccentric 95 is moved one-half a revolution to cause the centeringhead to move inwardly and center the rug 35 in position in the tube 55.The spring H6 allows the extension plate H4 to press flush against thedisk 56 previously placed in the tube. Pressure on the disks 59straightens the ends of the rug 35 and centers it with respect 5 to' thetube. The driving pawl at this point is disengaged from the pawl wheel81 by movement of the follower I9 on the cam 85. During the nextone-fourth revolution of the disk TI the centering head m9 remains inthe tube 55, and the tube may be rotated to permit application of theadhesive paper or similar material which joins the two sections of thetube together. The next one-fourth revolution of the disk II causes thedriving pawl 80 to reengage with the pawl wheel 8! and move theeccentric one-half of a revolution. This moves the centering head I09out of the tube 55. After the centering'head has moved out of the tubethe pawl 80 is disengaged from the pawl wheel 8'! for one-fourth of arevolution. During this period the centered rug package is ejected andanother rug package is positioned in the centering device.

The rolled rugs are retained in the centering machine during thecentering operation .by means 7 5 are again raised by the rollers 82.

of a pair of plates H1. The plate H1 has one upper corner notched, asindicated at H8 to receive the rolled rug from the rug expelling deviceI5. An arm H9 is mounted on one side of the plate H1. The roller 82,secured by a stud 83 to a boss on the disk 11, engages the lower end ofthe arm I I9 to raise it to ejecting position. When the roller 82 passesfrom engagement with the arm I I9, the arm I I9 drops back to normalposition. The arm H9 has a counterweight I20 secured on an arm I2Ipivoted on a fulcrum I22. The arm H9 is connected to the counterweightI20 by means of a stud I23 mounted in a slot I24 in the arm I2I. The armI2I is provided with a slot I25 to permit adjustment of thecounterweight I20. The plate H1 is provided with a second notch I26 inwhich the rolled rug rests during the centering operation. A pair ofrollers I21 is mounted on the plate I I1 to permit rotation of the rugpackage to facilitate the application of the adhesive paper or similarmaterial to the tube 55.

When the rolled rug enclosed in the paper tube is moved from the plates34 to position in the notches H8 of the plates H1, the arm H9 is raisedby the action of the rollers 82. This forces the rolled rug up out ofthe notches I I8, and when the arm H9 is lowered, the rolled rug rollsto position in the notches I26. The rolled rug is retained in positionin the notches I26 on the rollers I21 while the rug is centered in thetube and the disks 56 are pressed flush against the ends of the rug.When the centering operation is completed, the centering head I09remains in position for one-fourth of a revolution of the disk 11 whilethe binding tape is being applied to the joint between the sections ofthe tube. The centering heads I09 are then withdrawn and the arms H9This forces the rug out of the notches I26 and causes it to roll to apair of receiving notches I I8 in the crimping machine I1.

The mechanism for operating the crimping machine (see Figures 4 and 9 to14 inclusive) is, in many respects a duplicate of the mechanism foroperating the centering machine. Accordingly, we will apply the samereference numerals to the parts that are the same on both machines andconfine our description of the crimping machine to the details ofconstruction that differ from the details of the centering machine. Themechanism for moving the crimping units relative to each other isessentially the same as that for moving the centering units. The cam I3!(Fig. 12) corresponds to the cam 85 on the centering unit movingmechanism (Fig. 16). The cam I31, however, is provided with a singlelobe whereby it causes the cam follower in engagement therewith to risebut a single time during each revolution of the disk 11. WVhen thefollower rises, the corresponding pawl engages a tooth on the ratchetwheel and imparts a A; revolution to the ratchet wheel and the spiralgear associated therewith. The contour of the cam I3I is such that thefollower then descends and remains in that position during the remainingrevolution of the disk 11. The gear therefor, makes revolution for eachrevolution of the shaft 15 and the cycle of movement of the gear ascompared with the shaft 15 is: move one-quarter; rest three-- quartersfor each revolution of the shaft 15. The eccentric is similar inconstruction to that used on the centering unit but is driven from thespiral gear 88 through spaced sprockets I29 and I30 which impart to theeccentric one revolution for each A; revolution of the spiral gear 88.

In the crimping operation the crimping heads are moved toward eachother, crimping the opposite ends of the tubes, and are then returned totheir normal positions (one revolution of the eccentric), and remain insuch position while the shaft 15 is making the remaining revolution.

The ejecting mechanism for the crimping machine is exactly the same asthat for the centering machine. The plates I32 for receiving the rolledrug in the centering machine and for supporting the rug and tube duringthe crimping operation differ from the plates H1 only in that they areprovided with a bearing I33 instead of with rollers.

The crimping mechanism for each side is the same and, therefore, themechanism for only one side of the machine will be described. The

crimping head I28 (Fig. 13) is provided with a 4 groove I34 adapted toengage with the ends of the paper tube 55 in which a rug is packaged. Anumber of pins I35 are positioned in recesses I36 extending radiallyinto the crimping head 28. The pins I35 are positioned in the head andare then grooved as indicated at I31 to conform to the contour of thegroove I34. After the groove I31 is formed in the pins they are rotatedthrough a slight angle so as to cause one edge of the pin I35 to projectbeyond the surface of the groove I34 as indicated at I38 (see Figure14). The pin I35 is then secured in position in the crimping head bymeans of the set screw I39. The crimping head I28 is also provided witha plate I40.

The crimping head I 28 is rotated on a drive shaft I4I extending from amotor I 42. The plate I40 presses against the shaft I4I to prevent theshaft from pushing into the end of a tube and breaking the disk 56. ismounted on a sliding base I43 which is reciprocated in the same manneras the sliding base I05 of the centering machine. Two plates I44 aresecured to the stationary supporting member I06 and are connected attheir upper ends by a pair 1 of spaced horizontal plates I45. In Figure10 one of the plates I44 is omitted, and one wall of the sliding baseI43 is partly broken away to facilitate illustration of adjacent parts.The plates I44 and I45 constitute a support for a clamping unit I46which is adapted to cooperate with the plate I 32 to hold the rugpackage in position while the ends of the paper tube are being crimped.

The unit I46 includes a horizontal arm I41 one end of which is secureddirectly to the plates I45. 1

The upper end of the arm I41 is provided with a recess I48 through whicha clamp rod I49 extends. A bearing I50 secured to the arm I41 acts as aguide for the rod I49. The lower end of the rod I49 has secured theretoan arcuate-shaped clamp I5I. The upper end of the rod I49 is pivoted toone end of a rocker arm I52 as indicated at I53. The rocker arm I52 ispivoted at I54 to a support I55 which is secured to the arm I41. Theother end of the rocker arm I52 has a push rod I56 pivoted thereto asindicated at I51. The rod I56 may be adjusted by means of the adjustingnut I58. The rod I56 is also provided with a compression spring I59secured between a pair of nuts I60 and a pin I6I projecting from the endof a rod I62 positioned Within the push rod I56. The other end of therod I62 is pivoted at I63 to a lever I64 which is fulcrumed at I65 to asupport I66 which is secured to the arm I41. The other end of the leverI64 is pivoted The motor I42 at Hi! to a plate I68 secured to thesliding base I43.

As the crimping head I28 is moving inwardly toward the tube, the plateI68 causes the lever 5 I64 to pull on the rod I62 which acts against thecompression spring I59 and causes the rocker arm I52 to force the clampI5I into contact with the tube. When the crimping head I28 is moved outof crimping position, the same mechanism acts in the opposite directionto release the clamp I5I from contact with the tube. The ejecting arm H9is then raised by the roller 82 and the packaged rug is ejected from thecrimping machine.

The completed package is more particularly described and claimed in acopending application of Clifford F. Hawker, one of the co-inventorsherein, Serial No. 599,217, filed March 16, 1932, and the method ofoperation of our device and the manufacture of packaged articles is morecompletely described and claimed in another copending application,Serial No. 736,683, filed July 24, 1934, as a division of saidapplication, Serial No. 599,217.

Although we have described a specific embodiment of our apparatus,particularly adapted for packaging rugs of the felt base type, it willbe understood that our apparatus may be used to package any materialthat is capable of being rolled. Various details of our apparatus asdescribed may be modified without departing from the spirit or scope ofour invention. Accordingly, we do not desire to be restricted to theexact details of construction described except as limited by theappended claims.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for packaging rolled articles, yielding means tocenter a rolled article in a tube and yielding means to crimp the endsof the tube into inturned beads, each of said means having arms adapted.to position the tube for its operation thereon.

-2. In an apparatus for packaging rolled articles yielding means forcentering a rolled article positioned within a tube, yielding means forcrimping the ends of said tube, said centering means and said crimpingmeans being provided with automatic means for placing a tube inoperative position and for ejecting the tube after its operation hasbeen completed.

3. In a packaging machine, the combination of supporting means for acylindrical tube containing an article to be centered therein, a pair ofcentering means having portions smaller than the inside diameter of thetube and movable to enter the ends of said tube and displace saidarticle longitudinally of said tube and position the articlesubstantially centrally thereof and means yieldingly urging saidcentering means into said tube.

4. In a machine for making a package by assembling a rolled article andan enclosing tube, the combination of centering means yieldingly movableand mutually approaching to displace the rolled article to a centralposition within the tube.

5. In a packaging machine, the combination of means for rotatablysupporting a tube containing an article to be centered therein, rotat-74) able means yieldably urging said article to a position centrally ofsaid tube and means yieldably urging and maintaining said rotatablecentering means Within the tube while said tube is being rotated.

75 6. In a packaging machine, the combination of supporting means for acylindrical tube containing an article to be positioned therein,positioning means comprising a pair of heads adapted to enter said tubeto cause longitudinal displacement of said article in said tube, a stopen- 5 gaging said tube after one of said heads has entered said tube apredetermined distance, and means for causing yielding relative movementbetween said heads. 7. In a packaging machine, the combination 10' ofsupporting means for a cylindrical tube containing an article to bepositioned therein, positioning means comprising a pair of heads adaptedto enter said tube to cause longitudinal displacement of the article inthe tube, a stop engaging 15' said tube after one of said heads hasentered said tube a predetermined distance, a yielding plate associatedwith at least one of said heads to compensate for various lengths ofsaid article,

and means for causing relative movement be- 26 tween said heads.

8. In a packaging machine, the combination of a pair of positioningheads having portions adapted to enter a tube, at least one of saidheads having a stop for engagement with said. 213' tube, means forcausing said heads to move relative to one another a predetermineddistance to cause displacement of said article with respect to saidtube, and yielding means associated with said moving means to limit thedisplacing pres- 30 sure applied by said moving means.

9. In a machine for crimping the ends of a tube enclosing a rolledarticle by applying rotative pressure to the ends of said tube, thecombination of a pair of crimping heads, means 35 for imparting rotativemovement to said heads, means for imparting relative movement to saidheads to cause said heads to move toward each other and yielding meansassociated with said moving means limiting the pressure applied by 40the crimping means.

10. In a machine for crimping the ends of a tube enclosing a rolledarticle by applying rotative pressure to the ends of said tube, thecombination of a pair of crimping heads, means for imparting rotativemovement to said heads, means for urging said heads toward each otherand yielding means associated with each head to limit the pressureapplied thereby.

11. In a machine for crimping the ends of a tube enclosing 2. rolledarticle by applying rotative pressure to the ends of said tube, thecombination of a pair of crimping heads, means for imparting rotativemovement to said heads, means for yieldingly urging said heads towardeach other and hold-down means for preventing rotation of said tube.

12. In a machine for crimping the ends of a tube enclosing a rolledarticle by applying rotative pressure to the ends of said tube, thecombination of a pair of crimping heads, means for imparting rotativemovement to said heads, means for yieldingly urging said heads towardeach other, hold-down means for preventing rotation of said tube andmeans for urging said hold- 5 down means into operative relationshipwith said tube after engagement of said heads with said tube.

13. In a machine for crimping the ends oi a tube enclosing a rolledarticle by applying rotative pressure to the ends of said tube, thecombination of a support for a pair of crimping units, one of said unitsbeing movable as a unit with respect to the other unit on said support,each unit including a crimping head and means to impart rotative motionto said head, and means associated with at least one unit for impartingyielding movement of its head toward the head on the other unit.

14, In an apparatus for packaging articles, means for receiving a tubecontaining a rolled article, means for moving said tube into position tobe engaged by positioning means, said positioning means including a pairoi. heads adapted to enter said tube to cause longitudinal displacementof said article in said tube, a stop engaging said tube after one ofsaid heads has entered said tube a predetermined distance, means forcausing yielding relative movement between said heads, and meansassociated with said moving means effective for ejecting said tube fromsaid positioning means after the positioning operation.

15. In an apparatus for packaging articles, a positioning unit and acrimping unit, said positioning unit including a pair of heads adaptedto enter said tube to cause longitudinal displacement of said article insaid tube, a stop engaging said tube after one of said heads has enteredsaid tube a predetermined distance and means for causing yieldingrelative movement between said heads, said crimping unit including apair of crimping heads, means for imparting rotative movement to saidheads, and means for yieldingly urging said heads toward each other, andmeans associated with said positioning unit for moving a tube containinga positioned article to a position for engagement with moving meansassociated with said crimping unit for positioning the tube for thecrimping operation.

16. In an apparatus for packaging articles having a tendency totelescope upon rolling, means for yieldingly urging a pair of disksflush with the ends of said rolled article contained in a tube toovercome any telescoping of said article and for displacing said articlewith respect to said tube, and crimping means adapted to turn theexposed ends of said tube into beads by rotative pressure to decreasethe effective length of said tube and urge said disks into firmengagement with said rolled article, said crimping means beingyieldingly urged into engagement with said tube ends.

17. In an apparatus for packaging articles having a tendenecy totelescope upon rolling, a pair of heads adapted to enter a tubecontaining 2. rolled article and means for causing yielding relativemovement between said heads to apply pressure to the ends of saidarticle to overcome any telescoping thereof.

18. In an apparatus for packaging articles having a tendency totelescope upon rolling, means yieldingly engaging the ends of a rolledarticle contained in a tube, means for applying pressure to saidengaging means to overcome any telescoping of said article and means forcausing relative movement between said tube and said article to displacesaid article with respect to said tube to a predetermined positiontherein.

19. In an apparatus for packaging articles, a support for a tubularhousing enclosing a rolled article substantially incompressible along adirection parallel to its axis, means for displacing said rolled articlewith respect to said tubular housing to position said rolled article insaid tubular housing, a. crimping head, means for rotating said crimpinghead and means for imparting relative translatory movement between saidhead and a tubular housing on said support.

20. In an apparatus for packaging articles, a support for a tubularhousing enclosing a rolled article substantially incompressible along adirection parallel to its axis, means for displacing Said rolled articlewith respect to said tubular I housing to position said rolled articlein said tubular housing, a pair of crimping heads, means for rotatingsaid crimping heads and means for imparting relative translatorymovement between said heads. 10

21. The combination with a rotatable crimping head for fianging arelatively rigid tubular housing by the application of rotative force toan edge thereof, of means imparting reciprocating movement to thecrimping head, including means 16 for normally moving said head apredetermined distance, yielding means under a predetermined tensionintermediate said moving means and the rotatable 'nead adapted to imparttranslatory motion to said crimping head and to permit trans- 20 latorymotion of the moving means without corresponding translatory motion ofthe crimping head upon the development of a predetermined force betweenthe crimping head and the tubular housing, and means for initiallybiasing the 25 yielding means to predetermine the total force requiredto effect yielding action.

22. The combination with a packaging machine having a member mounted fortimed reciprocable motion, or means for reciprocating said mern- 80 hercomprising a member adapted to be rotated at timed intervals, rotatabledriving means adapted for uniform rotation, said means carrying adriving dog, said dog being rotatable with said driving means andadapted for selective en- 3 gagement with said member to impart rotativemotion thereto at timed intervals, and means controlling the engagementof the driving dog with the member.

23. In a machine for crimping the ends or a 40 tube enclosing a roll ofhard surfaced covering material or like rolled article substantiallyincompressible along a direction parallel to its axis by applyingrotative force to the ends of said tube, the combination of a supportfor a tube 45 to be crimped, a pair of crimping heads spaced in axialalignment, means for rotating said heads and means associated with atleast one head for imparting yielding movement of said head in an axialdirection toward the other head. 50

24. In a machine for flanging the ends of atube enclosing an article,the combination of a pair of crimping heads mounted for reciprocatorymotion in a horizontal plane to mutually approach a center, a supportfor positioning a 50 tube in a horizontal plane in the path oi. saidheads, means for imparting rotary motion to said heads and means forreciprocating said heads.

25. In a machine for fianging the ends of a relatively rigid tubeenclosing an article, the combination of a pair of crimping headsmounted for reciprocatory motion in a horizontal plane to mutuallyapproach a center, a support for positioning a tube in a horizontalplane in the path 55 of said heads, means for rotating said heads, meansfor reciprocating said heads and yielding means intermediate at leastone of said heads and its reciprocating means for limiting the pressureapplied by the the reciprocating means.

CLIFFORD F. HAWKER. BENJAIVIIN F. HERR. FRED G. ROT'I'MUND.

